The PitBull Discussion

This is a forum to discuss legislation and legal matters pertaining to the rights and welfare of dogs. Please remember to counter ideas and opinions with which you don't agree with friendly and helpful advice and responses.

A white male pitbull is the reason that my dog and I don't go to dog parks, anymore. She was a puppy at the time, and Im' not sure what would have happened had I not intervened.

While pitbulls should NEVER get aggressive at all towards a person, they are bred to be aggressive to other dogs and many are very aggressive towards other dogs. OP- if your dog is reacting badly to humans at only a year old, you may want to check out some books on reactivity. Patricia McConnell and Jean Donaldson have some great books out for dogs just such as that.

It's not really the dogs I have an issue with, because many breeds can be dog aggressive or at the very least, reactive. It's the owners of pitbulls that give me pause.

The first step in being a responsible pitbull owner is to take your head out of the sand and educate yourself about the breed as much as possible. Only then can your dog be an excellent ambassador for the breed.

I would also be very concerned about a puppy reacting that strongly to strangers. This would be very troubling to me. I know my dogs would definitely NOT be ALLOWED to behave this way. I don't think the behavior is an issue if you corrected and controlled it, but if you encouraged, and didn't DISCOURAGE it.. is a very troubling instance. Dogs should not be encouraged to protect. Too much liability in this. If police come, it can get your dog shot. If burglers come, the dog will be the first thing they take out if they dont wish to be deterred.

If the dog is friendly, they are likely to ignore a dog willing to help them take out the family silver. A dog making a stand is a dead dog to an armed perpetrator.

As a guardian to my dog, it's my job to protect HIM, I never want him protecting ME. NOT allowed. NOT behavior I want to see, and not behavior to brag about. Any hint of such behavior WILL be corrected. As a result, when other dogs have attacked him, he believes I will handle it. And I do. He stands, or runs.. But does not complicate things by reacting back. Much safer to bring things to a quick and decisive end with as little damage as possible.

Pibbles aren't for everyone... They CAN be fabulous family pets, but because of their strength, they need owners who are ready to spend time with training and management. Sometimes it doesn't matter how much behavior mod one does, some dogs are just not dog friendly - terriers as a group are well known for dog aggression/selectivity... And that's perfectly fine - in the right hands.

The problem lies with irresponsible owners not stepping up when they need to. Even a well bred APBT may become DA upon reaching maturity; it's up to the owner to anticipate that this can happen, take steps to keep it to a minimum, and above all, *accept* that their dog is DA and manage it.

As for human aggression, that's as big a fault in this breed as it is in most others - they are good family companions, and as such they can be wary of strangers on their property, but they shouldn't be especially sharp about it.

I think we also have to keep our personal fears in perspective. We all have our own experiences and preferences that have shaped what kind of dogs we're drawn to and which if any we fear. Take German Shepards, they really scare the behootie out of me...but then again a close friend had one who was so mellow-utterly devoted to his owner but very easygoing with people and other dogs. Therefore I know they can be terrific dogs.
Or schnauzers, I own two pit bulls and I'm really nervous around cute little schnauzers. Because when I was a kid my aunts schnauzer used to terrorize me...so thirty some years later it's still reflex when I see them...but I can still realize I'm doing it and have even held some really adorable schnauzies. There are some scary butt specimans from ANY breed so banning a generic label is totally ridiculous.

No offense taken...I've been a pibble person long enough not to get offended. Just saying that people's reflex reactions are irrational sometimes. Today I was walking my new guy and people were passing us...glancing at him, maybe saying helo to me, but not even thinking of touching him. He's a puppy for pittys sakes, a BABY...Most people are naturally drawn to puppies...but the bias is that ingrained...it's sad

I really do think that the benefit of the doubt needs to go both ways...

That person could be avoiding your dog for a number of reasons...their dog could be afraid of other dogs, ill, contagious, afraid of people, reactive to other dogs, or that person may just have had a number of unpleasant experiences with other dogs...there are so many reasons for people to avoid dogs and often, it's not at all about you.

I very regularly avoid other dogs because I have a dog that is afraid of dogs and people, and honestly, most people have shown me that they are impulsive and thoughtless when it comes to strange dogs, so I err on the side of caution.

I will also say that I think that not educating potential pittie owners about issues like potential dog selectivity and dog aggression really does a disservice to the breed and is unfair to everyone involved.

If a member in my family did not have some dog allergies, I would definitely get a Pit or two. I volunteer at an animal shelter a lot and most of their dogs are Pits and not one of them have a anger issue. In fact, when I was a little girl, my grandmother had a black and whit pit mix that she found on the street as puppy that was beaten up and abandoned, his name was Bruno. Bruno was the nicest dog and I use to walk him around her street when I was around 7 years old (with my grandfather behind me walking his rescue lab/golden mix), not once did he pull me or go after another dog. The only problem was that I used to get mad when someone walked by with their dog and yell at my grandfather/mother that they let a 7 year old walk a dangerous dog. I noticed most people who said that, their dog was barking at Bruno or trying to get to him when he was just sitting down next to me like an angel. Overall, I hate when people listen to society and not like one breed because someone else doesn't. My advice is when people pick up their dog and walk away just remember your dog is a hundred times better than theirs, no matter what society says.

Honestly, the most sound dog I have ever met was a black colored pit bull. She had so much against her due to breed and color, but oh my gosh, if there was ever such a thing as perfection, she was darn close to it.

If I only had 1 dog, I would have adopted her no question about it. But 2 is my max, so I unfortunately had to let her go to another home.